1. IDENTIFY YOUR OWN NATURAL HAIR COLOR
Your natural hair color first determines where to start when you’re choosing your desired shade. People with warmer base tones, like Emma Stone, who is a natural blond, can take on different colors than someone with a cooler starting hue. Ask your hairstylist, who will be more attuned to identifying nuanced tones.
2. BE REALISTIC
Rome wasn’t built in a day—and drastic hair color can’t be achieved overnight, either. The more pronounced the change you attempt, the more likely the results will be brassy, ashy or just plain disappointing. A subtle shift, on the other hand, like Camilla Belle’s lift from rich brunet to spicy cinnamon, is completely attainable.
3. TRY ON A WIG
If you plan on making a dramatic change, that is, more than three shades lighter or darker than what’s natural, Uniwigs.com advises trying on a wig close to your desired color. It’s a quick, painless way to determine if the shade is right for you.
4. STEER CLEAR OF THE POOL
Chlorine strips away the hair cuticle, allowing minerals in the water to get into the hair shaft and alter your color. Rather than diving in, sit pretty poolside, like Whitney Port, for at least two weeks before and after dyeing your hair.
5. BUY A SHADE LIGHTER THAN YOU WANT
Hair dye always comes out darker than the image on the box. Buy one or two shades lighter than your desired color. It is easier to amp up a color’s intensity than it is to tone it down.